Ingersoll
Avenue harbors dozens of unique
businesses that have been around
for at least a quarter century.
That includes far more food and
beverage legacies than any other
strip in town — Noah’s, The Alpine,
The Greenwood, The Duck Blind,
D.M. Yacht Club, El Patio, Flanagan’s,
Wellman’s Pub, Dahl’s, Bauder’s,
Kwong Tung, Suzette’s and Ted’s.
It’s not as easy as it looks though.
The location where Wellman’s has
thrived since the beginning of
the 80s was previously thought
to be cursed. Four restaurants
had come and gone in four years
before Wellman’s. For years, Ingersoll
Avenue resisted franchise fast
food outlets and that helped establish
its independent identity. But
that was very long ago. Now, new
restaurants on the strip have
to deal with corporate franchise
competition like everywhere else
in the metro.

That brings us to 2510 Ingersoll
Ave., an address that housed a
HoJo for decades before the motel
king deserted the inner city.
Recently, a Central American and
a Mexican restaurant both opened
there and left in less than a
year. Part of the problem was
the next door neighbor — a “deluxe”
Taco John’s, meaning one with
a condiment bar and lots of seating.
Undaunted by curses, Acapulco
Mexican Restaurant opened at the
same dubious address in late January.

On my first visit, I figured
they were doomed to the fate of
the previous Latino restaurants,
because a litany of “amigos” cannot
compensate for bad service. Our
waiter hovered over the table
after delivering menus. When we
didn’t order immediately, he tapped
his order pad on the back of his
hand loudly. He didn’t even stop
after we apologized for boring
him and explained that we wanted
time to actually read the menu
before ordering. Hurried, I ordered
(pork) carnitas tacos. The waiter
said I could only have tacos with
ground beef or chicken. I asked
if they did not, in fact, make
carnitas and was told they did,
but tacos had to be hamburger
or chicken. Because I could have
had that at Taco John’s, and because
I still felt pressured to order
quickly, I changed my order to
a “number one combo, whatever
that might be.”

Not knowing what I ordered,
I became the only person at the
table who didn’t think he got
the wrong order. Not that it mattered
much because almost everything
was covered with the same red
sauce and cheese while coming
with the same flour tortillas.
A waiter kept asking, “Is everything
good, amigos?” But when we asked
for some green salsa, more red
salsa was delivered. Despite the
confusion, some items were well
executed — chiles rellenos were
made with stem-on poblanos; guacamole
was generous and fresh, frijoles
were velvet smooth. With the exception
of the ubiquitous red sauce, foods
were remarkably restrained in
their use of salt — even the chips
were unsalted.

Return visits were much happier
stories. Servers correctly delivered
everything that was ordered without
ever pressuring anyone. When an
order of flan came drenched in
whipped cream and chocolate sauce,
it was happily replaced with an
unadorned one. Carnitas didn’t
compare to the better versions
in town, but a “Michoacan special”
brought good roast beef, fajitas
were served still sizzling and
taquitos had a perfect crunch.
Value is extraordinary here: A
$6.50 fajitas lunch brought two
heaping plates of food; Carne
asada and “steak Jaliso” both
delivered complete steak dinners
for under $10.

Side dishes
Café di Scala was the only
Iowa restaurant to earn a 2006
Award of Distinction from Wine
Enthusiast (WE) magazine. While
Wine Spectator’s better-publicized
awards seem to go to the most
expensive wine cellars every year,
WE’s are more discriminating.
Café di Scala has a short,
all-Italian wine list…. King Arthur
Flour’s traveling baking college
stops at the West Des Moines Marriott
March 2. Free classes will be
taught in yeast breads (noon –
2 p.m.) and artisan breads (7
- 9 p.m.). For reservations, call
(802) 526-1835, allison.rogers@kingarthurflours.com.
CV